


Dancing to the Rhythm of You

by StardustDreamMate



Series: Gods and Spirits (and a little bit of humans too) [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Cute Ending, Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Nature Magic, Some Plot, Water Spirits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:07:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27154979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StardustDreamMate/pseuds/StardustDreamMate
Summary: There’s something about Jisung that makes Chenle want to do stupid things.Whether it’s the way he tells the most hilarious of stories with the straightest of faces, or the way his huge heart is incapable of letting him leave anyone or anything suffering, alone, Chenle is undeniably enamoured with the human boy. (His saving Chenle’s life might also have something to do with that).But perhaps that’s what drew Chenle into Jisung. It wasn’t his cuteness or his innate squishiness, but his personality, sweet and caring, utterly selfless. In fact, that’s kind of how they met.Aka. Chenle is a river nymph living in the aftermath of the death of the gods, and Jisung is the cute, human boy who literally stumbles into his abduction.
Relationships: Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Series: Gods and Spirits (and a little bit of humans too) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022362
Comments: 14
Kudos: 87





	Dancing to the Rhythm of You

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of fiction, and any and all characters are equally as fictional. This is based off of my interpretations of idols and is in no way an accurate representation of them, nor am I speaking on any of their behalves. I mean absolutely zero harm to any and all of the NCT members
> 
> It started off as a blurb of about four paragraphs of angsty things before it transformed into this much cuter, much lighter story about rivers and boys falling in love! Fascinating, right? :p 
> 
> Really, I just sparked an idea and went with it to try to escape my writer’s block. I hope you’ll enjoy~ 
> 
> PS. The summary makes it seem way more serious than it actually is~ 
> 
> <3

Chenle sits on the edge of his bank and tries not to cry out of sheer disappointment. It’s so incredibly stupid that not seeing his friend is causing this reaction. 

Jisung has been absent for about a week now, and although it’s far from the longest he’s ever disappeared for, Chenle still worries that the human is going to do something stupid and get himself entirely lost, hurt, or killed. It doesn’t help that his favourite person is entirely too sweet, and Chenle never feels truly at ease until Jisung is safe and protected in Chenle’s realm. Although the spirits of the forest have grown accustomed to his benevolent presence, all it takes is one relocated, traumatized nymph, and Jisung could be a kebab. 

His waters ebb and flow behind him, gurgling softly, and the sound of their gentle rush on the river rocks helps calm him down a little but even being immersed in his own element isn’t enough to calm him down. His ears still pound with the current rushing through his veins, and his eyes still fill with crystalline tears that spill over like fountains. Not even shaping animals from the water droplets is enough to brighten his mood, and Chenle wishes, not for the first time, that he could leave his river and his realm and find his favourite human. 

Alas, he’s kind of stuck here. His element feeds and fuels his life force and if it were to disappear or Chenle to leave it for more than a week at most…

Bye-bye Chenle. 

Sometimes he really hates being a naiad. 

However, Jisung has a tendency to make Chenle want to do stupid things. 

It’s something incredibly innate within him, the need to protect that consumes him when the matter at hand concerns Jisung. Something about the boy has always intrigued him, and Chenle has never been able to place a finger on why. It’s not that Jisung scrunches up his nose cutely every time he’s confused or embarrassed, and it’s not the adorable way he always tries to tell him about a new favourite piece at the theatre or a tune he heard the baker singing through the window. 

There’s something about Park Jisung that demands Chenle’s full attention and absolute adoration. 

Which, okay, was freely given, but still! 

He works at the nearest town’s amphitheatre, running the mirrors to create spotlights and making sure that all the members of the cast are well taken care of. Chenle has gotten to hear all kinds of stories from the world of masks, whether it be Jisung being unfortunately flashed by one of the women playing a siren, or about the time when he had to climb to the top of a nearby tree to retrieve the theatre’s damn cat. He’d been all but embarrassed when it concerned the woman, and he’d received a thousand lashes and bruises from wayward tree branches retrieving the kitten, but his eyes had shone brightly anyway, content in his good deed. 

Perhaps that’s what drew Chenle into Jisung. It wasn’t his cuteness or his innate squishiness, but his _personality_ , sweet and caring, utterly selfless. In fact, that’s kind of how they met. 

〜

Chenle had been dancing on the edge of a stream, one of the ones that branched off of his river. The grass had looked so green that day, and the sun was so warm and inviting that the banks had seemed like the best place to be. Add in the rustling of the leaves and the chirping of the songbirds, and Chenle had been powerless to resist the beckoning call of nature. 

The melody of the land and the song of the skies had kept him twirling throughout the clearing, humming along as his arms formed the graceful lines that his mind created. 

He had always enjoyed dancing. During the time of the Pantheon (and Chenle says it like this because he knows he’s not actually that old but a naiad can dream, right?), revelries were the life of it all. The old deities used to throw parties with dances that could take three days to finish! 

The last one Chenle had been able to remember was an incredibly long time ago (read: ten years), but that hadn’t stopped him from enjoying it. He’d met a really delightful minor deity named Jaemin, who put anyone and everyone who _thought_ they were rambunctious to shame. At any rate, he and Jaemin had danced and talked for probably four days at the revelry, and with that in mind, Chenle had spun even faster around the clearing, giggling to himself. 

Lost in the feeling of it all, happiness radiating out of his soul and making the stream burble faster, Chenle had not noticed the humans stalking him until it was too late. 

Admittedly, a boy/man dancing all alone in the middle of the woods was suspicious enough. 

A boy/man with bright blue hair and water wrapping around his wrists was even more so. 

Trapped in a net of vines, their thorns poking into his skin and surrounding him in the earth, Chenle had been unable to escape their hold as the men dragged him away from his element and into the forest. With pieces of another realm’s element suffocating him, Chenle had been utterly powerless, unable to morph back into water. Fear had filled him, cold and heavy, as he realized what could happen to him next. 

As the old Pantheon of gods had died out, a void had been left in the human society, and a monster had taken over, trembling as it laid in wait, anticipating the right moment to strike:

Greed. 

The void that had been left meant that Chenle and the other nature spirits were unprotected once again. With the gods, they were privy to the deities’ every whim, but they were protected from most harms. Without the Pantheon to protect them, nature was at the mercy of humanity. 

Well, this humanity that had forsaken the old gods in search of something _better_ had always been known to be fickle, but Chenle would tell anyone who asked that _no, he had never expected the humans to turn to_ them. 

He was proven wrong within the month. 

And so the witch hunt began. 

All of sudden, the nymphs, spirits, and creatures of what had once been the sacred enchanted forest were under attack from the very people who used to worship their land. Dryads were stolen from the ground, ripped right up by their roots until their trees shrivelled, and their secondary forms were revealed as they petrified to death without their elements. Satyrs were captured and brought into the town square for all the laugh at and ridicule, and the lakes and their shores were drained of kelpies, merpeople, and kappa. Chenle’s whole realm, save for himself, erased within a day. 

Although it did not take too long for the supernatural population to bounce back, the loss of their kin had traumatized and hurt the entire forest, and Chenle can still remember the old days where every spirit had to wander the forest with a companion of another domain, lest they be caught off guard and captured. 

Yet, he had forgotten. Despite his entire realm never recovering, the only realm to not repopulate, Chenle had forgotten to be cautious. 

Younger him really had been kind of stupid. 

Present-day Chenle feels his mouth spread into a watery grin, even if he’s curled up in a tiny ball remembering the pain of his capture. The thorns had sunk so far into his skin that the silvery liquid of his essence was starting to seep out around the woods, but, now, all he can remember is the baby fat clinging to Jisung’s cheeks as he had burst onto the scene, wielding a bow and his arrows and commanding attention. 

“Stop! You will not hurt that spirit!” Jisung had shrieked, voice still cracking with the beginnings of puberty. It wavered and sounded terrible, but it demanded obedience. 

Chenle had been immediately intrigued. Not many humans would stick up for a spirit, these days. There was a lot of money to be made turning them in and showing them off. 

He remembers wondering what made this tiny little boy special. 

The men who had captured him had laughed and jeered, but the moment Jisung had shot an arrow directly over their heads, clipping the longest strand of hair from the man who was holding Chenle, they sobered up. A few had tried to advance on Jisung, but the boy had whipped out another arrow and shot it through the excess fabric on one of his captor’s shirts with perfect aim. 

That had done it. 

To be honest, it was kind of lame. 

But he was cute and brave, and he had probably just saved Chenle’s life. 

So...

Whilst Chenle whistled appreciatively and tried to remember how to breathe, the nasty humans dropped him and ran like deer scattering at the slightest hint of danger. Although Chenle hadn’t been too sure they were actually in danger from this prepubescent boy, he can still remember being endlessly thankful to Jisung and his stupidly brave tendencies. 

“My name is Jisung,” he had whispered, helping Chenle out of the net with gentle hands, brushing the vines off his skin and pulling the leaves from his hair. His eyes were wide, innocent but worried. There had been a tenderness in his touch that made Chenle feel _seen_ for the first time in a while. 

“My name is Chenle.” The offering had been a truce, and the naiad waited quietly with bated breath. He liked this boy who couldn’t have been much younger than him if Chenle were human too. 

“I like that.” Jisung had smiled at him, adorably gummy, eyes crinkling up in the cutest way possible. 

“I like _you._ Thank you for saving me.” Chenle pressed a tiny kiss to his cheek before leaping away and into the river. 

〜

He had not expected to see the boy again. Yet, it didn’t feel like much of a surprise when Jisung arrived in the clearing again, calling his name quietly and running his fingertips through the placid waters of the stream. 

Intrigued, Chenle had swum upriver from his favourite part of his realm and lingered under the water to watch curiously as Jisung tried to get his attention. 

“Chenle? It’s Jisung! I brought you a present!” He dipped another hand in the water and stirred it around some, creating ripples that nearly reached the bank on the other side. 

Eyes brightening mischievously, Chenle slipped closer to Jisung under the surface to brush his fingers with his own, still webbed between his digits, and pulled lightly. 

Instead of jumping slightly, Jisung full-out _screamed,_ startling Chenle out of the water with a gasp as the poor boy tumbled backwards, knocked over by his own momentum. The parcel in his hands, wrapped tediously and carefully, fell to the ground beside him and burst open, spilling four tiny buns onto the ground. 

When Chenle saw the extent of the shock on Jisung’s face, he flinched. Instant regret. 

“I didn’t mean to alarm you,” Chenle apologized, helping a wheezing, heart-clutching Jisung to his feet. “I was only intending to surprise you.” 

“I think I just died,” Jisung huffed, dusting off his clothes and pouting at Chenle for approximately two seconds; then, his face split into a grin. “I brought you treats!” He dropped to the ground so quickly that Chenle went to try to catch him, but the boy was just reaching for his parcel. Jisung collected the sweet buns into his hands carefully and held them out with both to Chenle, shuffling from foot to foot. 

“I made them for you,” he explained. “As a thank you. For the kiss. Ahem. I mean, I didn’t make them all on my own. Jeno-hyung helped me. And I didn’t mean _for_ the kiss just because of the kiss...and...yeah, I’m going to be quiet now.” Jisung pursed his lips before puffing out his cheeks. “Here!” He thrust the buns at Chenle and squeezed his eyes shut. 

Chenle imploded with cuteness-overload. He pinched a cheek between his fingers before taking one of the treats with a smile and biting into it. 

Soft, spiced fish melted in his mouth, contrasted by the sweet, honeyed bun. It was very different from river fish but very tasty. Even more so because Jisung made it for him. 

“Oh my gods, this is so delicious! I’m in heaven, bless the Pantheon and bless my soul because this is the greatest thing I’ve ever tasted!” Okay, so maybe Chenle had gone a _little_ overboard with the praise, but cute boys deserved to be entirely appreciated! 

Plus, the blush blooming like wildflowers on Jisung’s cheeks made it totally worth it. 

“Really?” Jisung cracked an eye open, a shy smile starting to take over his face. “I’m so happy you like it!” 

Chenle eyed the other ones in his hand. “I don’t suppose I could have another one, could I?” 

〜

About a year after they first met, Chenle learnt that Jisung was an orphan. He was immediately worried, but the boy went on to explain to him that two of the village “parental figures”, one woman and one man, had taken him in and not to stress about it. 

He also learnt that Jisung was born in the same cycle as him, just moons later. Chenle, of course, was created fully-grown, but Jisung had to develop. 

Key difference there. 

Chenle found himself enjoying spending time with the human in a way he had never felt before. There were bubbles in his stomach when he held hands with Jisung, even if it was only to help him balance when walking across river-rocks, and spending time with him warmed up his heart enough to make his waters rush sometimes. 

When they collapsed against the banks in the sunshine, Jisung for drying and Chenle to keep him company, they would cuddle together and look up at the clouds, trying to see pictures in each one. Chenle would lay with his head in the space between Jisung’s chest and shoulder, one arm slung over his lanky torso (when had he gotten so _tall?)_ , Jisung’s arm around his waist. 

It was alarming, the way he felt, but Chenle enjoyed the feeling. It felt...right. 

〜

The day before Jisung’s sixteenth birthday (Chenle still found it hard to believe that Jisung was only thirteen when they met and not nine), Chenle prepared the bottom of the lake for visitors. His realm was unpopulated by sentient creatures as a result of the human attacks, but a grand variety of fish still remained, alongside freshwater rays and the cities of the old merpeople. For his birthday, Chenle wanted to give Jisung the most sacred of gifts: an invitation into his world. 

It was a lot harder than it looked, unfortunately, to tidy up and organize the way he wanted to. Everywhere he looked, a stone was in an awkward location in relation to a plant, or a stray fish scale was littered across the riverbed, glinting conspicuously. 

Eventually, after every rock and every shell was re-arranged, Chenle deemed the lake ready. It was by no means a show-stopping place, but it was his home; he wanted Jisung to see it. 

When Jisung arrived at his riverbed, no longer stopping at the stream first, Chenle burst out of the water giggling, twisting a piece of a river weed between his fingers. He could feel his body practically reverberating with excitement. 

“Do you want to see my realm?” Chenle proposed after they talked for a while and he presented Jisung with his fish-cake (variety food was kind of at a loss down there, okay?!). 

“Your...realm?” Jisung sounded awed, looking at Chenle with huge, wide eyes. “You trust me enough for that? But I’m only human!” 

“My _favourite_ human, whom I’ve known for _three entire_ years. I trust you, Sungie.” Chenle allowed himself to smile sappily for 2.5 seconds before clapping his hands together and saying, “so! Are we doing this?” 

Underwater, in Chenle’s humble opinion, it became increasingly apparent that Jisung was the prettiest thing in the entire world. His hair was a shade of blue so dark it matched the shadows rippling across the bottom of the lake, and his wonderstruck expression made Chenle’s heart _sing._ The way the light of the sun, filtering through the depths, danced off his milky skin and the way his pupils blew wide to be able to see were the most attractive thing Chenle had ever seen. 

He had fed Jisung his special weed to help accustom his eyes to the darkness, and despite grimacing at the bitter taste, Jisung diligently ate all of it, chewing carefully. Before he had decided to officially allow Jisung into his world, Chenle had carefully practiced weaving an air filter underwater. It would have to let oxygen through but keep the water out. He had been obsessed with the design process, needing to be satisfied and assured that it could protect Jisung and keep him alive. Seeing it all work, however, and seeing his Jisung swim through his realm was an indescribable feeling. 

A few rays took interest in the new person beneath the river’s current, and Chenle watched fondly as Jisung stroked a careful finger over their velvety wings. In fact, many of the fishes came to check the two of them out, and Chenle felt his heart warm to see Jisung greet all of them and smile so sweetly. Even the notoriously fickle shellfish came out of hiding, each spitting out a pearl into Jisung’s hand. 

Jisung had looked entirely honoured as he bowed to the clams before handing the pearls to Chenle, who neatly speared holes through them and strung them onto a broken-off root of a reed. He would leave it out in the sun to cure later, and then Jisung could have a necklace from his subjects. It was sweet, and he made sure to thank the clams when Jisung wasn’t looking. 

They just ignored him and bubbled back into the mud (rude), but nothing was going to ruin Chenle’s mood. 

As for the best part? 

When Chenle took Jisung’s hand and propelled them to the Mer City, Jisung’s jaw dropped to the floor, and a stream of bubbles came out of his nose, around the filter placed over it, from the strength of his excitement. A bubble caught on the edge of his hair, and Chenle shook it out absently. When he looked back up, Jisung was looking into his eyes with a thoughtful expression on his face. However, when Chenle asked him about it, Jisung just shrugged and smiled, poking his nose. 

Chenle pretended to be affronted while Jisung swam off to explore, but the water around him warmed with the force of his blush. 

He was too cute, seriously! This _had_ to be bad for Chenle’s health. 

For hours, they swam around the abandoned city, darting in and out of every corner and diving through the open windows with bubbles trailing in their wakes. Jisung had taken a particular interest in the beds of reeds that the merfolk had once slept on, fascinated by the strength of the woven mats. He looked a little green when he saw the turtle-shell bowls, but Chenle assured him that the turtles had passed away beforehand. The relieved look on Jisung’s face made him grab his hand and beam. 

Jisung, always sweet and caring. 

Being surrounded by architecture created during the Pantheon’s rule again was certainly unusual, but Chenle found that he wasn’t as upset with Jisung around. Usually, he slept in one of the depressions in the mud in the outskirts of the city, his bed lined with fronds and reeds. The lifeless city had simply been too depressing for him, yet Jisung’s presence coloured the ruins with an entirely different vibe. 

The crumbling walls began to look less dilapidated and more distinguished in their decline, the dour fish that used to haunt the riverbed dispersed as Jisung darted into the area, utterly entranced by everything he saw, and even the way the light filtered through the water and into the city felt different, brighter, even. 

After Jisung had studied the whole of the city, they settled down in front of the entry gate, leaning against the imposing siltstone columns. Shelled mosaics were embedded into the stone, and they also garnered his attention. Chenle watched happily as he ran reverent fingertips over their raised surface, tracing over patterns of the river spirits who had come before him and the relics of their rule. 

_Do you like it?_ Chenle transmitted through the water, poking Jisung’s thigh. 

_It’s beautiful. I love it. Thank you for sharing it with me._ Jisung swam over to Chenle and clasped his hand, looking earnestly into his eyes. His eyes flitted down to look at something, and Chenle followed his gaze, but Jisung’s fingertips brushing his hair out of his face brought his eyes back up. 

_What?_ He reached up to hold Jisung’s fingers in his own. 

_Nothing. You look pretty like this, with your hair floating around and framing your face. In your natural form. You’re gorgeous, Lele._

_Yah, don’t be silly. I don’t even look human under here._

_I don’t care. I’m not lying_. Jisung looked affronted, pressing his hand against the side of Chenle’s head, fingertips trailing over the edge of his frilled, fanned ear. It tickled, and Chenle giggled, ears folding back to get away from the touch. 

_You really think so?_

_Of course. The scales are really cute; they look like freckles. Your ears are literally_ so cool _and soft_ , _mine are all boring and round, and your hair looks like sapphires. Adding on to all those wonderful things, I don’t mind your webs because they’re part of you, and besides all those superficial things, I like_ you. _I fell for your personality, not your looks or your powers._

Jisung tugged him a little closer, stroking his thumb over Chenle’s cheekbones. In an instant, everything in the world narrowed down to this moment, to the touch of Jisung’s cool finger on his burning cheek. 

_Jisung...what are you doing?_ Chenle watched with wide eyes as the human came a little closer, expression changing into something unreadable. It was breathtaking in its simplicity, yet at the same time, there were thousands of emotions shifting across his face before Chenle could decipher them. 

And suddenly, Jisung’s face was breaths from his own, and his head was tilting, tilting, _tilting,_ and Chenle found himself leaning closer, closer, _closer—_

Jisung’s lips were as soft as petals against his own, and the slight pressure of them made his entire body light up as Jisung wrapped an arm around his waist gently and tilted his head, changing the angle of their kiss. 

And by the gods, if Chenle wasn’t in love right there and then. 

(It wasn’t until they separated that Jisung commented on how the water was suddenly warmer that Chenle slapped his arm and tried to cover up his embarrassment) 

〜

Chenle laughs, recalling all their fond memories as the tension starts to bleed out of him, his body unfurling from his tucked-up ball of limbs. He lets his head fall back into the river, lazily watching the fish swim past his face. They’re inverted, upside down, but Chenle can still see their sleek, silvery forms.

One passing fish, in particular, blinks at him as she swims by, her brilliant red scales contrasting with the silvers, browns, and beiges of his native river fish. 

_Chenle-lah! How are ya, sir?_ She asks, stopping in front of him and wiggling her tail back and forth. 

_Good, how about you, Naja?_

_Fishy fine!_

Chenle waves at her as she swims away with the rest of her school. She’s part of the new generation of fish that moved into his river after the Pantheon fall-out. They came from the Eastern Delta, but they were brighter than any of the river fish. Chenle had told Jisung last time he saw him that he had to meet the new school, but it’s been an incredible amount of time. 

Maybe he’s forgotten all about Chenle. 

No. 

_Jisung is fine,_ Chenle thinks, blocking the thought out and crossing his arms over his chest. The boy, _young man_ , now, really, knows how to take care of himself. He always comes back. 

Still, Chenle misses his face. He misses the slight scratchiness of his deep voice, and he wants to see his nose crinkle in real life, not just in the eye of his mind. He would love to hold his hand, kiss his cheek. 

He misses his boyfriend, dammit!

He’s starting to drift off when something snakes out and grabs his foot above the water, and Chenle is hauling his torso and head out of the river instantly, ropes of water coiling around his hands. Without a second thought, he drenches the thing that grabbed him with two bursts of geyser-like jets of water, thrashing free and slipping into the river. He peeks his head out carefully, the rest of him entirely submerged. 

And, immediately, he laughs. 

Standing in front of him is the very boy he had wished to see, Park Jisung in the flesh, soaking wet, black fringe falling into his eyes, mouth wide with shock, a bouquet of wildflowers in his hand. Around his neck is the pearl necklace Chenle’s subjects made him three years ago, four round balls of shimmering aragonite gleaming in the sun. 

“Is this how you’re going to greet me from now on?” Jisung asks, shaking his hair out like a dog and pouting at Chenle. “If it is, I think you can use it for someone else. I promise not to be offended.” 

Chenle screeches and launches himself out of the riverbed and into Jisung’s arms, wrapping his arms around the other’s neck. “I missed you so much! I’m so sorry for drenching you!” He sucks the water off of Jisung’s body with just a thought as he hugs him tight. After a moment of hesitation, Jisung wraps his arms around Chenle’s waist, patting his back before securing his hold. 

“I missed you too, Lele,” Jisung rumbles, knocking his head lightly against Chenle’s where it’s tucked in the crook of his neck. They’re the same height, the same age, and Chenle relishes in their closeness for one more moment before pulling back. 

“Where were you?” He asks, taking the bouquet that he’s offered and smelling the flowers absently. They smell sweet, and they’re beautiful, a delicate shade of pale pink that darkens as the petals move closer to their core. They appear to be lotuses from a stream nearby, Chenle can tell, but they aren’t from his own realm. It’s sweet of Jisung to make sure they match his domain. 

“I got really busy, I’m so sorry. I picked up delivery duties for the bakery as well, so now I have to work during the morning too.” Jisung pulls a face, and Chenle smoothes out the wrinkles it creates.

“Oh. Do you like it?” 

Chenle’s face must have fallen because Jisung rushes to reassure him, hands out and waving around. “Of course I do, but don’t worry! Now that I have it figured out, I’ll still come visit you! I won’t leave you alone.” The last sentence is said almost petulantly as if Jisung is offended that Chenle would ever think he could leave him behind for the rest of their lives. 

As if. 

If he hasn’t made it clear over the past few years, Jisung is his favourite person in the entire world—no, his favourite _being—_ and he’s willing to do anything for him. He shared his _realm_ with him, for crying out loud! He knows Jisung isn’t going to leave him; they’ve been through too much together, not to mention...

There also may have been some discussions of the L-word (and some not-so-infrequent kisses) since then, but Chenle refuses to admit to anything. 

Innocent until proven guilty. 

Right?

“Oh. I’m sorry. I just missed you. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad or anything.” Chenle scrubs at his cheek with a hand, suddenly shy as it heats up under his touch, and he hits himself in the face with a lotus leaf in the process. Jisung laughs, enamoured. 

“I’ll always make time for you,” Jisung announces confidently, taking Chenle’s hand that isn’t holding the flowers and swinging it back and forth. For some reason, that does it; his composure cracks like a crab leg under a rock. 

Chenle flushes again, this time sputtering nonsense in response, and Jisung laughs _again_ , the sound rolling over his skin smoothly, just as his water had been before. He’s always been the current sweeping Chenle away, or the anchor at the bottom of his lake, drawing him in and keeping him steady. They dance to each other’s rhythm, in a way. Chenle, to his sweetness that permeates his every action, and Jisung to his element, his very essence. 

It’s pretty fitting that the person he loves most echoes the thing he loves most. 

“Gods, I love you.” Jisung squeezes his hand, thumbing over the back of it and pressing a kiss to Chenle’s skin before offering him a wide grin. “Now, tell me, wasn’t there a new type of fish you wanted to show me?” 

“Oh my gods, yes! She’s so cute, wait until you see her! She’s just a fry right now, but I can tell she’s going to grow up to have such a beautiful scale pattern!” 

“Lead the way then, my love!” 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> *trumpet noises* I had fun getting to write this piece and to explore a tiny bit of mythos without a HUGE plot line to contend with, and I hope it was enjoyable! 
> 
> Feel free to let me know what you thought with a comment or a kudos, I love to get feedback! (And I promise not to bite <3) 
> 
> Twitter: @MateStardust


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